BlackBerry Holds Its Own Against iPhone

The release of the new 3G BlackBerry Bold Monday sent Research in Motion’s shares up 6.93%, to $141.97. The reason, according to Forbes, is the BlackBerry’s business focus, which lets it maintain its edge over the popular but business-weak iPhone. The Bold apes the iPhone in design, but integrates smoothly with business email and other systems, unlike its smartphone rival.

Apple plans to make the iPhone capable of synching with Outlook, Forbes notes. "If you were just looking at the client," said one observer, "the iPhone would be a clear choice for most people. What distinguishes the BlackBerry from the iPhone is the back-end support." And with foreign launch pending, the Bold is poised to gain customers outside the US. (More BlackBerry stories.)